Wireless networking hardware requires the use of underlying technology that deals with radio frequencies as well as data transmission. The most widely used standard is 802.11 produced by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). This is a standard defining all aspects of Radio Frequency Wireless networking. A subset of 802.11 is 802.11 k—Radio Resource Management. This standard focuses on the two key WLAN elements: access points (AP) and PC Cards.
Within this 802.11 standard, Management Frames, including Action Frames are used extensively; currently there are no security mechanisms to protect these Management Frames in the IEEE 802.11 standard. Thus, there is a continuing need for better ways to protect Management Frames and thus enable more secure, efficient and reliable wireless networking.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.